Friday, May 25, 2018

A Final Goodbye

Almost ten years ago I (somewhat blindly) decided to
start this blog, with very few expectations for what it would become. At that time, I was still working on my
graduate degree in theology, unmarried, and had no children.I had a lot more time on my hands and found
myself routinely frustrated by the lack of Catholic bible information on the
internet.A truly dangerous mix! At that time, most of the really good blogs or websites
devoted to actual bible editions and translations were authored by our
Protestant brothers and sisters.Many of
them were very good and informative, though most of them have not been updated
in years.They gave me the inspiration
to start The Catholic Bibles Blog
back in August, 2008.It has been a very
good ten years authoring this blog. I
would have never guessed that I would been able to interact with so many of
you, from many different countries and traditions.Some of you have been commentating on this
blog from very early on.

I have also been blessed to participate in a number of
interviews with many of the people who work tirelessly to provide Catholics
with better translations, editions, and study tools. I have a much greater respect for the
translators, editors, and publishers who are devoted to building up Catholic bible literacy
in the English speaking world.It is not
an easy job and it comes with very few accolades.Most often, people complain!(I know, I was one of them.)

But, really, who would have thought that in these ten
years there would be an NABRE, a
beautifully bound and republished Knox
Bible, The Message:
Catholic/Ecumenical Edition with Deuteros translated from the Nova Vulgata, an approved NLT-CE and ESV-CE, and a forthcoming full RNJB?And, of course, we are still waiting on a few
others, right Ignatius Press?So, who
know what the future holds.How about an
NIV-CE or NASB-CE? Ha! Or, how about a premium Catholic Bible to
match the brilliance of the most recent Cambridge NRSV Reference Bible w/Apocrypha?

It has been a pleasure posting and interacting with all
of you.One of my goals for this blog was
to make sure that it would be a place without a lot of the toxic bickering we
see so often in social media, forums, and society in general.I truly wanted all to be welcome to express
their view point, always in a charitable tone of course.Now, I haven’t always succeeded at that, but
I have done my best and most of you have done the same.To those who I may have offended or been
short with, I offer my apologies.But to
all of you who have interacted with me through the blog or by email, I thank
you for your contributions, kind words, and encouragement.Some
of you I have had the pleasure to meet in various ways, and a number of you I
consider friends.

Yet, here we are, ten years later.Life has changed, interests have changed as
well.It is time for me to move on and
close shop.Time to go dream it up all over again in
different places and spaces.So, thank
you sticking with this little bug of a blog for the past ten years!Keep on reading your bibles!Keep on supporting those many small Catholic
publishers who need to hear from you, both through your encouragement and
financial support.May God richly bless
you as you read, pray, and study the written Word.

"A final comparison. One can drink
wine as it is and swallow hard or one can drink it mixed with water and enjoy
it; hence, a book is good when it's written, but better when it's read. And so
it is with mine."

85 comments:

Tim, I understand as a father/husband why you would give this up. You have done an excellent job over the years and thank you! I will miss this blog as it is one of the best, if not the best on its topic.A final note regarding patristic. Maximus the Confessor's "On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture" was just released as #136 in the Fathers of the Church (FOTC) Series. At the end of the year #137 will be Cyril of Alexandria's Glyphera on Genesis. And Paulist Press will issue as #72 in the Ancient Christian Writers Paulist Press series Chromatius of Aquila's Tractates on Matthew. Finally, the grand prize of all - Oxford will release this fall Origen's Commentary on Matthew!

Wow! Sad to see this all come to an end. I'm a more recent reader of this blog (last 2 or 3 years I think) But it has opened my eyes to the variety and value of all the different translations out there and has given me a whole new respect for translations I previously looked on with nothing but disdain.

In fact, in recent months I think I may have finally settled on a daily reading bible, beginning with the RSV2CE, then to RSVCE, then the Douai/Confraternity, then the NRSV and then the KJV w/Apocrypha then the Knox, and finally....the NLT:CE! I had a compact NLT:CE (bought from you Tim!) sitting on my shelf, I had only ever thumbed through it a few times, but I decided I swap it in for my daily reading rotation for awhile and see what I thought. What a great and clear translation! I think this may be my daily reader for awhile to come (famous last words of course, right!)

The point is though, no matter what translation I happen to be reading, is that the whole instinct to explore and try new translations, even those disparaged by others is my "tribe" of Catholicism so to speak, was given to me here in at this blog and I can't thank you enough for that Tim!

That said, I've got a 9 month at home myself (sitting here drying out from an unsuccessful formula bottle feed as I type this, lol!) so I completely understand the need to step away and spend more time on your most important duties, as well as being present for all the joys that come from building a family. Thanks for all you've done and thanks for all the bibles, especially the NLT:CE!

I am sorry to see you close up shop, but I certainly understand. This blog has been an excellent almost-daily stop for me for the past three or four years. You provided an invaluable service, including a sane and interesting community of discussion.

Thank you again for kindly replying to my emails and posting my Bible sales. Your absence will leave a void. I wish you and your family all the best. If you find yourself in south Florida, let me know. I'd be pleased to buy you a beer, coffee, or whatever you like.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this blog over the entire 10 year run. You were instrumental in my discovery of The Message and the CEB, both of which I use every day. Also, as a fellow author, I hope you continue your writing efforts and wish you the best.

Thanks for your time and efforts, Tim, and blessings to you and your young family.

Timothy, it has been a great 10 years, most of which I have had the pleasure to follow! This blog was one of the only outlets I had to discuss my favorite versions of the Bible and to anticipate what would come in the future!. Prior to getting a smart phone (and facebook) three years ago, your blog was the first thing I checked online everyday! Though we have never physically met, I consider you and your family friends! And hope to hear from you in another venue in the future! Best of luck to you and your family!!!

It will be sad to see you go. I stumbled across your site as a new Catholic, and you're more or less responsible for my reading the whole bible not once, but three times. I had never read the whole thing, not even as a Protestant. I wish you the best.

Thank you for all of your endeavours on our behalf. It’s been an enjoyable ride. I’ve been reading your blog for years and I’m going to miss it but I can certainly understand why you might want to put her to bed. Thank you for everything!

May the God of Peace make you perfect in Holiness.May He preserve you, whole and entire, Spirit, Soul and Body,irreproachable at the Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Timothy - thank you so much for opening my eyes to the variety of translations and thoughts about what makes an enjoyable catholic bible. This was a beautiful oasis of thoughtful commentary and a great community. I have been a long-time reader but never commented much. I will miss the daily updates in my feed. Best of luck to you and your family. God bless!

Gosh, Tim. I'm still kind of in shock and already missing my favorite blog. Thank you for helping me get so much more out of the Scriptures! God's richest blessings to you and your family, and great success to you in your future. Take Care.

I have been a mostly quiet follower of your blog for several years and I have checked in on it every day. Definitely will miss it but totally understand you’re changing needs and situation. Thank you so much for everything! You helped me explore various translations of the Scriptures and who would’ve ever thought that the CEB would actually become my daily reading Bible?

The Lord guard you and keep you The Lord turn his countenance upon you and grant you peace. The Lord bless you, Father + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Oh no! I've been lurking this blog almost daily! Ack! I NEED YOU!Oh well... Thanks for the awesome blog! It really helped me find some great translations and knowledge that I would be sadly lacking if it weren't for you. I pray that God will bless you and your family forever.

Now, of course, I'm still gonna swing by this page every now and then, you know, just in case. I'll be able to let go of it eventually. D:

Thank you for your friendship above all. I appreciate the work you put into this blog, yet even more so the relationship we’ve established that has helped me grow as a Christian these last five or six years. Again, thank you.

I am mostly a reader of your blog, but I will miss your blog all the same. Farewell and thank you for pointing out all the great translations of the Bible that are Catholic Church provides. Not only for Catholics, but for all people of good will. Your blog is proof that Catholics not only read the Bible, but cherish it.

I think we all knew this day was coming, but it is so sad to see it arrive. I am going to miss this blog so much. I understand why you need to move on, though. Keeping this going for 10 years has been a wonderful gift to all of us. Thank you!

I hope some of us can keep the community going in some way, at least on Facebook, but of course, having a website elsewhere is important. What can be done on Facebook is limited. If anyone wants to try to do something, I certainly can help!

Actually, I'd be wiling to either take over this blog, or start a similar one, to tie in to the Facebook groups many of us are part of. I would prefer that I or someone else take over this one, to preserve the prior posts and build on them instead of starting from scratch. I don't know that I could produce all the content necessary to continue the blog as it has been at its strongest points over the years, but I would be open to managing it, providing some content as well as posting things written by others.

Does anyone else have any thoughts about that? Pros? Cons? Other ideas?

First of all, Tim: Thank you SO much for everything you've done here. I found your blog 3 or 4 years ago, and like so many others here, it truly opened my horizons to studying the bible. I've learned a great deal and found helpful study resources through your posts and the insights of the community of people who comment here. You were a major force nudging me to question my bible tribalism and my irrational herd-like negative reaction to the NAB and the NRSV! Seriously, I cannot understate the importance of your blog for my journey. You have done a great service to the church here.

In light of that, I concur with JDH's suggestion. I was considering suggesting the same thing. I would certainly be willing to help with continuing the blog. Changing to a new moderator (or moderators) certainly raises questions about how to handle the transition, how to ensure continuity, etc. But there's a lot of value in continuing this tradition and remaining in continuity with the blog archives that are so full of useful information.

I think this blog needs to go away, to be honest. Another might be the answer and certainly a greater social media presence seems like it would be the right thing to do if you both can get some people to start it up. And you are most welcome to promote it in these comments. But, this space will remain closed. I do not plan on deleting the blog anytime soon, so it will remain for the foreseeable future.

I've visited this blog only once in a while, but I found it to be the best and most interesting among Catholic blogs. Where else can you find so much information and discussion about the Catholic Bible? Nowhere that I'm aware of.

Thank you for your patience. My comments were perhaps a thorn in your side. But hey, offer it up :)! God bless you in all your future pursuits.

How do you all feel about starting a new blog, forming a Facebook group, or both? I'm on an extended hiatus from Facebook, so I strongly favor the idea of starting a new blog. It also has the ability to reach people through traditional internet searching in ways that social media doesn't.

It appears as though there is joy, sorrow and hope with Tim moving forward. He's given an example: Concern for Holy Scripture. As many can attest, there are a a good many sites which review Protestant Bibles (and the like) but very few of the quality and concern which this site has had regards to Catholic Bibles. I agree with Tim, the site should be closed. I, as some others, agree there need not be an end to such efforts, but a new effort, perhaps via a different medium. As Tim is allowing this site to remain (for the time being), until such an effort is begun, we shall only have the Comment section to communicate (yet this is not a very effective way to do so). If an individual, or a group seeks to begin a new venture, share that information with those who continue to view the Comment section, and move forth.

Good to see Tim moving on. He's done us all a great service and well deserved each note if thanks and praise. There can be little doubt his decision to close the blog is well considered and done because he is ready to move on to knew things.

Anyone can begin any blog on the same theme with various services on and off social media according to the preference of those initiating the new place. This blog will remain, hopefully for Tim's sake with comments Off otherwise our good friend will not be truly free :) So, with the archive in place and with plenty of great services available to those who wish to put the limited work in of setting it up and the massive work of maintaining it, the intention of this blog can go on and, most importantly so can Timothy.

For my part, bless you my dear friend for all you've done, and as I joked above, thanks for all the fish.

If a new version of this was done on Facebook, I would sadly be unableto follow it because out of my own concerns, I am deliberatelyNOT a member of any social media.

So I would be sad to see this website reincarnated as a Facebook group.

I've treasured this website immensely since I first encountered itaround 2010-2011 (?). Can't remember exactly when but it was in thattime frame. I don't think I knew about it when it began in 2008, butwithin 2-3 years of that.

It was an place for many of us to fall more deeply in love with scripture. For me, a huge part of it was discovering that it wasn't that I didn't like to read the bible, it was that I owned a bible that had a layout which stood between me and the text.

The English speaking Church seems rife with factionalism these days, and the way you handled us in the comment section when we bickered and got on our high horses was gentle and firm.

As the most vocal voices on the Catholic internet move towards more literal translations, I think you gave a great counterpoint--advocating for dynamic equivalence translations both literary (the Knox) and contemporary (NLT, the Message). The NLT and the Message aren't my cup of tea, but I've read a dozen comments over the years where people have admitted to not wanting to get one, and then falling in love with scripture all over again after they followed your openness to them. That's a great thing you did for those people/families.

Christ's peace! Your students must be lucky to have a teacher so calm, curious, and open minded.

Thanks for the many years of hard work and prayer that you've given to God and the Church! This blog, your posts, the Catholic Bibles Blog community, the books/Bibles/software/etc. that I've read -- after learning of them via this blog -- have assuredly helped me to grow in my faith, and in my love of God, self, and neighbor. And hopefully my family, co-workers, R.E. catechumens, youth group kids, small group members, etc. have, therefore, also been enriched by this blog's existence over the years. I think that the Holy Spirit was glad to make use of Catholic Bibles Blog, and I share my personal relationship to the blog so that you might have an idea of some of the difference that you've made in people's lives. And, as the Holy Father says in Evangelii Gaudium, we must "[know] with certitude that all those who entrust themselves to God in love will bear good fruit (cf. Jn 15:5). This fruitfulness is often invisible, elusive and unquantifiable. We can know quite well that our lives will be fruitful, without claiming to know how, or where, or when. We may be sure that none of our acts of love will be lost, nor any of our acts of sincere concern for others. No single act of love for God will be lost, no generous effort is meaningless, no painful endurance is wasted. All of these encircle our world like a vital force. Sometimes it seems that our work is fruitless, but mission is not like a business transaction or investment, or even a humanitarian activity. It is not a show where we count how many people come as a result of our publicity; it is something much deeper, which escapes all measurement. It may be that the Lord uses our sacrifices to shower blessings in another part of the world which we will never visit. The Holy Spirit works as he wills, when he wills and where he wills; we entrust ourselves without pretending to see striking results. (EG 279)"

Tim, I'll join the chorus in saying I hate to see the blog close. I discovered it probably 3-5 years ago, and only swung by on occasion, but always appreciated both the content and the tone of the site. May God bless you in the next chapter of your life.John Gillis (maybetoday.org).

I'm hoping it can serve as a forum to continue the community Timothy has fostered here. Feel free to comment over there on the first post, which expresses my appreciation for Timothy, and my desire to continue some part of his legacy.

I have only just discovered this blog in the last couple of months and am quite sad to see it go! Thank you for your gentle and thoughtful writings, and service to the Christian community. I look forward to digging through your archives for a long time after this last post. Thanks!

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Message 4 Next Week

Prayer of Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.